Tis the Season
by JPMod
Summary: During the Holiday Season, the gang attends the annual Upperton U Christmas Ball.  Story 16 of the 'Kim Possible: The University Years' series.
1. Chapter 1

In response to feedback regarding "Winter Wonderland":

John Steppenwolf – Ever heard of 'astrophysics' – physics that involves how celestial bodies move and work? I doubt any astronomy major would pass without knowing the physics behind how the universe works. Ever heard of Newton's three laws of motion? They clearly apply to celestial bodies. Gravity? Same thing. Einstein's famous EMC² applies to the Big Bang and how stars burn energy. Etc. I'm not saying Debra has to know advanced physics, but she does have to know the particular physics required to be an astronomer.

Well, the girls didn't say anything that they beat them. They simply pounded the stuffing out of the boys for attacking them first with snowballs. Ah, revenge is sweet. ;D

Forlong – You already received my response by email, but I want to repeat here what I told you regarding your review of "Winter Wonderland". I've lived in New Jersey, not far from New York City, all my life. I know the weather here, and I certainly do know that in the past 20 years, with the exception of this year and the past few years, it rarely snow in New York City before Christmas. If I don't get snow, NYC doesn't get snow. Therefore, what I have written for Loretta is true. NYC and I very rarely ever had a White Christmas in the past 20 years; therefore Loretta very rarely had a White Christmas.

Everyone else who had left signed reviews has received a reply from me through FF-net's new reply function, and that's what I'm going to do from now on. Signed reviews will received a reply from me through email via the new reply function. I'm not going to guarantee a reply for every signed review though, for it depends on whether a review maybe is worth to reply. :) (For example: If I received a flame, who in their right mind would respond to that? Not me.)

* * *

Big thanks to all who read "Winter Wonderland." :-)

Once again, great big thanks again goes to Spitfire F.22 for beta reading for me, despite being very busy with school. Thanks, man! (big grin)

* * *

Disclaimer: All Kim Possible characters are the copyright of Walt Disney Corporation. All songs used are copyright (if any) by their respective owners. I'm just borrowing them to write up a story with no intention of making any money. This is for fun. All other characters in my stories, that Disney doesn't own, are mine. :)

A/N: Unlike "Winter Wonderland," this story is totally into the holiday spirits as the TUY gang enjoys the Holiday Season before the grudging workload arrives preparing for the finals. :)

Story rating: Rated K+ (aka PG)  
Written: November/December 2005

Summery: During the Holiday Season, the gang attends the annual Upperton U Christmas Ball.

* * *

_Kim Possible: The University Years_

'Tis the Season  
By JuPMod (aka JPMod)

_Deck the hall with boughs of holly,  
Fa la la la la, la la, la, la.  
'Tis the season to be jolly,  
Fa la la la la, la la, la, la.  
Don we now our gay apparel,  
Fa la la, la la la, la, la, la.  
Troll the ancient Yuletide carol,  
Fa la la la la, la la, la, la_

Smiling, Upperton University's star gymnastics athlete hummed along with the carol as it played on the overhead speakers. She snuggled into the cushioned corner of the lounge chair as she continued to hum while reading her notes and book for math class. Out of the corner of her blue left eye, she noticed the young man, whose wheelchair was sitting next to her chair, was grinning at her.

"You love singing Christmas carols, don't you?" Felix Renton teasingly asked, an opened book on advanced robotic mechanics in his lap.

"Is it obvious?" Debra Oxford Tsuda chuckled as she turned her head to face him, her long blond/brown hair piled up on the back of her head by a hair claw clip. With a finger, she pushed a loose hair strand behind her ear.

Felix chuckled as well. "Ever since we've arrived here, you've occasionally hummed along with the songs playing out of the lounge's overhead speakers." His amused grin widened. "It doesn't take much guess work to figure it out."

Gently laughing, Debra nodded. "Guilty as charged," she said before giving a soft, happy sigh. "The Holiday Season is one of my favorite times of the year." Her eyes then transversed around the lounge to take in other students studying and working as well as the sun-lit, snow-covered landscape seen outside through the windows.

Since several weeks ago, when Felix met Debra in the student center's cafeteria that one Saturday morning, it had became a ritual for them to meet for breakfast and study together every Saturday, sans holidays, school breaks, and important events. Other than the Thanksgiving Saturday, they had yet to miss a Saturday, for they enjoyed each other's company.

Seeing her soft, joyful expression, Felix's face changed to match hers. "I too enjoy the Holiday Season." This caught her attention as her head turned to face him. "The music, the good cheer, and the warm feeling of family and friends."

Her grin turned into a warm smile. "Hai," she said, focusing on her companion's blue eyes. "Christmas is not an official, national holiday in Japan, but the spirit of the season along with the ringing in the New Year is welcome by many Japanese. It's a joyous occasion for family to gather together and celebrate."

"And from what you told me, your family is **quite** large," Felix softly chuckled.

Debra smiled and rolled her eyes. "Oh, Kami! Much as I love the family festivals, it sometimes gets to be a drag at times." Felix laughed, causing her to giggle in turn.

"Speaking of celebrations," Felix said, "are you going to the university's Christmas Ball tonight?"

Blinking, Debra was confused. "You didn't know? Yes, I'm going. I thought Ron would have told you, since I told Kim and Monique a week ago, the day after Snowball Mayhem Day."

Now it was Felix's turn to blink in confusion. "Ron certainly didn't tell me anything." He gave a slight grin. "You think Kim would have shared everything she hears with Ron?"

"Yeah, I suppose," Debra slightly shrugged, looking a bit sheepish. "They are a couple, and I thought they would have shared everything with each other."

Shaking his head, Felix grinned. "Whether Kim told Ron or not, I certainly did not know that you were attending, Debra."

"Well, I am," the petite, young woman replied with a small grin. "This is my first year in Upperton U as you know, and I'm curious to see the ball." She chocked her head to the side as her lips curled up into a small smirk. "Besides, this is the last weekend before the finals, and I want to enjoy myself before I'm immersed with the intense studies and work preparing for the finals."

Felix chuckled. "Same here. I didn't attended the ball last year, because I'd needed the extra time for studies, but I'm going to attend this year."

"Great!" Debra beamed as she reached over and placed a hand on his arm. "We're going to have fun!"

"True," he agreed, pleased in seeing her excitement. "I know George and Ron will be there."

"Loretta is going to attend," Debra said as she released her hand from his arm. "Same with Monique and Kim."

The wheelchaired, Junior-year student grinned. "Looks like everyone will be there."

"Hai," the Freshman-year student agreed. "I'm looking forward to tonight." With that said, she settled back to her previous position on the lounge chair and looked down to her book and notes.

Felix, on the other hand, wasn't yet ready to return to his studies. "Do you have an escort for tonight, Deb?"

The question caught her by surprise as she quickly lifted her head to look at him with raised eyebrows. "Escort? I wasn't aware a person has to have an escort to the ball."

"Oh, no." Felix shook a hand. "One doesn't have to have an escort to the ball." He shrugged as he gazed down at his book and appeared to be reading it. "It's sort of a tradition to have an escort though, even though it's not necessary."

Looking at her brown-haired friend, Debra was still confused for a moment, until her mind recognized what he was aiming for. Her lips formed a small smile as her heart fluttered. "Felix?" He raised his head to look at her. "Are you **asking** me to be my escort?"

Realizing he was caught, Felix gave a slight sheepish grin. "Well, are you looking for an escort?"

Debra pretended to give it some thought. "Hmmmm… Well, I wouldn't mind having an escort, if I find the right man." Her eyes narrowed as her lips quirked. "Are you that man, Mr. Renton?"

Seeing her playfulness, Felix confidently grinned back. "That I am, ma'am." He gave a small bow as he played along. "Miss Tsuda, would you mind if I escort you to the ball tonight?"

Feeling her heart quivering, Debra widely grinned. "Yes, Mr. Renton. I accept you to escort me to the ball tonight." Unable to contain herself, for she was quite touched, Debra threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. "Thank you," she said in his ear before kissing him on the cheek.

As she pulled away, Felix was grinning proudly as he felt his cheeks flush. "You're welcome."

Feeling like he would blush even redder with Debra beaming at him with a full, warm smile, Felix coughed a bit with a fist in front of his mouth before speaking. "So, what time you want me to pick you up tonight?"

Settling back into her former position again on the lounge chair, Debra's radiant smile waned a bit but still remained. "The ball doesn't start until 7 PM, so I don't mind if you pick me up at 7:30. I don't have to be there at the start, given the ball lasts until 1 in the morning anyway."

"7:30 PM, it is," Felix grinned at her.

"Good," Debra said with a nod, before gently slapping his arm. "Come on. Let's get back to our studies."

"Aye," Felix said, still grinning, as he raised his book and began reading it.

Still feeling touched that Felix had asked to escort her, Debra, a grin on her face, turned to look back at her math book and notes. After a few minutes, she began to hum once more to the Holiday music playing from the speakers.

* * *

Despite the large increase of shoppers normally found at this time of year, Kim Possible was not deterred the slightest as she walked past the many stores in Upperton Mall. She had grown accustomed to the holiday shopping crowds since she started being an active, serious shopper so many years ago. Nonetheless, there were times she had felt fighting Shego would be a cakewalk compared to facing the shopping crowds of the holidays.

Carrying a shopping bag in each hand, the 20-year-old redhead quickly looked over her shoulder. "Come on, Ron. We still have to find something to give the Tweebs."

Trailing just behind her with two shopping bags in each hand, Ron Stoppable narrowed his eyes a bit at his steady girlfriend. "And I'm telling you, KP, Jim and Tim are easy! Just give them any electronics and they'll be happy!"

"Yep, yep," Rufus said from the front pocket of Ron's unzipped winter coat.

"Absolutely not!" Kim huffed as she faced forward. "Now that they are dating, they should have some nice clothes for their wardrobe."

Ron smirked and rolled his eyes. "Kim… Knowing them, they have no desire for fashionable clothing anymore than me."

Hearing the amusement in his voice, Kim shook her head as she slightly grinned. "Ron, their image will improve in front of their girlfriends, if they have least **some** fashionable clothing." She gave a small shrug. "Besides, they're growing now. Mom told me they need some new shirts to replace the ones she bought last year."

The 20-year-old blonde man frowned. "You never complained about my wardrobe when we were in high school."

This time Kim frowned and rolled her eyes. "Ron, that was **before** we became a couple. I certainly didn't mind your clothes back then, but as **my boyfriend** I like for you to least have some good, fashionable clothing to wear occasionally." Her lips curled into a smirk. "Are you saying you don't appreciate me shopping for you?"

"Oh, no!" Ron grinned. "It's good to have a girlfriend with fashion, savvy experience to help me occasionally." His eyes narrowed a bit as he focused on the back of her head. "Just lay off the ambushes as you did weeks ago."

Kim giggled. The day after Thanksgiving, she, Ron, and Debra went shopping at Middleton Mall, and she had ambushed Ron to try on clothes at Club Banana. He wasn't happy, especially after she had placed him in tight pants that showed his shapely butt. The result was that Debra had taken a snapshot of that butt with her cell-phone camera and had sent it to Monique. In turn, George Castle, Ron's roommate, had taken that shot and plastered copies on various bulletin boards in the boys' and girls' dorms. Poor Ron had to take the brunt of 'Butt Man' jokes and ribbing for several days after returning to Upperton U.

Today, the couple was shopping for Christmas gifts for their families and close friends. Given they would be busy studying and preparing for the finals in the days ahead, this weekend was the last chance they would have to shop for Christmas presents. They wanted to find a gift for everyone on their lists prior to the end of the semester, so they wouldn't have to endure the shopping madness in the days between the last day of school and Christmas Day.

As they started to past the central area of the mall, where the huge 2-stories tall Christmas tree stood, Kim and Ron stopped and stood by the railing to gaze down to the first floor from the second floor. In front of the tree, two dozen boys and girls, wearing typical winter clothing, stood together in four lines of six in front of a woman with a conductor's stick. A small sign on the side indicated this was the choir from Upperton Junior High School.

Already, a large crowd of onlookers was gathering around to watch as the conductor, no doubt the music teacher of Upperton Junior High, raised her stick, and the choir, holding their song sheets in front of them, began to sing.

_Hark! the herald angels sing  
Glory to the new-born King!  
Peace on earth and mercy mild,  
God and sinners reconciled!  
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,  
Join the triumph of the skies;  
With the angelic host proclaim  
Christ is born in Bethlehem!  
Hark! the herald angels sing  
Glory to the new-born King!_

As the song continued, Kim and Ron grinned and were moved by the beautiful harmony of the combined voices singing as one. Rufus was also touched, for he sighed and grinned, as did the many spectators from the first floor and around the railings of the second and third floors.

A few minutes later, when the choir finished on a splendid high note, a loud applause was heard in the mall as every member of the audience clapped. As far as everyone was concerned, this group of youngsters deserved it.

Kim and Ron, still grinning, stopped clapping, picked up their bags, and walked away from the railing just as the large ovation slowly died down. As they walked away side-by-side from the central area, they heard the choir began singing "I Wish You a Merry Christmas".

"They're good!" Ron exclaimed.

"Uh-huh!" Rufus agreed as he bobbed his head.

"Yeah, they are," Kim replied, her face still grinning. "Too bad we don't have the time to stay and listen to them some more."

"Yeah," Ron said a bit deflated, but his jolly mood wasn't diminished. "Come on, KP. Let's find those shirts you want for Jim and Tim."

Looking up at the man she loved, her grin broadened into a full smile, which made him smile in turn. They continued on their shopping quest, their spirits in good cheer as the sights and sounds of the holiday season bustled around them.

* * *

As he lay on his bed, George Castle sang along with the music blaring out of the speakers of the notebook computer on his desk. He was in a festival mood.

_Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock**  
**Jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring**  
**Snowing and blowing up bushels of fun**  
**Now the jingle hop has begun._

After looking at the digital clock on his nightstand and seeing it was 5:10 PM, the sophomore student got up and danced a bit as he traveled the short distance to the closed door of the bathroom. He pounded on the door.

"Hey, man! Get a move on! You're going to be late!" He grinned, knowing very well what the response would be.

"All right! All right!" Ron replied from the other side of the door. "Let me finish shaving first!"

Even Rufus joined in the ribbing as he stood on Ron's bed. "You're late!"

"Don't you even start, buddy!" Ron chortled, causing George and Rufus to laugh. Doing a little dance gig as he went, George moved to his desk chair and sat down. He continued to sing along, tapping on the wooden desk in tune with the music.

A few minutes later, Ron emerged from the bathroom wearing fresh boxers and a white t-shirt. He began to don the simple chef clothes placed on his bed. "Man, Kim's shopping spree took longer than I expected!"

George chuckled. "Ron-man, you obviously should know by now the way your girlfriend works when it comes to shopping."

Ron gave a snort of a laugh as he placed on a red, long-sleeved chef shirt before putting on black pants. "George, it so happens that Kim just forgets the time when it comes to shopping, even though she knew we didn't have much time." The blonde man donned the white chef jacket last before sitting on his bed to pull on black formal shoes.

Shaking his head as he grinned, George still wondered how much Kim really had her boyfriend wrapped around her finger at times, despite the loving couple's claims that their relationship was equal.

Finished tying his shoes, Ron rose and faced his roommate. "How do I look?"

Rising up from the chair, George walked around his friend and tugged the jacket down before grinning. "Looks great, Head Chef Stoppable!" He gave two thumbs up, making Ron grin in return.

"Cool!" Ron replied before he reached out for his formal winter coat on his desk chair. "I don't want to be late to help make the ball's buffet as head student chef." His arms slipped through the jacket and buttoned it up.

George nodded as he continued to grin. The university's student chefs had always prepared the food for the Christmas Ball and other special occasions as a way to help them gain practical experience. In the past two years, Ron had only been one of the regular chefs, but this year he was selected to be head student chef under the guidance of the professor chef. Rumors said that, under Ron's guidance, the food was tastier than anyone could remember in years. From the few occasions he had sampled Ron's cooking, George was a believer of the Stoppable Cooking Magic.

Finally ready, Ron strolled to his closet and pulled out a black, formal suit still on its hanger and inside its protective plastic. Lugging the suit over his back, Upperton U's Head Student Chef made his way to the door. "I'm gone!"

George and Rufus waved as Ron opened the door. "Rufus and I will catch ya at the ball, Ronnie!"

Ron turned his head to look at his two buddies as he smiled. "See ya two then!" With that said, he closed the door behind him as he left.

After he was gone, Rufus jumped from the bed to the floor and up onto George's desk. The pony-tailed, brown-haired man gazed down at the pink mole rat and smiled. "So, Rufus, how about we dance for an hour before I have to prepared myself for the ball?"

"Okay!" Rufus said as he gave a thumb up.

The pair danced away to the Christmas music, having a nice pre-party before the main one coming up.

* * *

_City sidewalks, busy sidewalks**  
**Dressed in holiday style **  
**In the air **  
**There's a feeling  
of Christmas  
Children laughing  
People passing  
Meeting smile after smile  
And on ev'ry street corner you'll hear _

_Silver bells, silver bells  
It's Christmas time in the city  
Ring-a-ling, hear them sing  
Soon it will be Christmas day _

As the song played on her notebook computer, Monique examined herself in the full-length mirror attached to the inside of her dorm room's closet door. She approved of what she saw, for her slim and toned body was in a form-fitting, red evening gown. The ankle-length gown had short sleeves, open back to the waist, collar, open chest with slight deep cleavage, and thigh-high leg slits. Her black hair was kept in the usual form she loved with a ruby clip holding it at the back, and her appearance was completed with black high heel shoes. She smiled, for she definitely loved the way she looked.

Stepping away from the mirror, Monique eyed the bathroom door. "Yo, Kim! Are you ready, girl?"

"Yeah," Kim said from behind the door, "I'm coming out now." The door opened, and Kim Possible came out. With an impish grin, she posed in front of her best friend. "Well, what do you think?"

Monique gave a wicked smile as she eyed Kim from head to toe. "Girlfriend, you are gonna be **hot** to trot tonight!"

Kim was in a sleeveless and strapless, ankle-length, purple evening gown. With low back and eye-catching cleavage, the dress was tight on the torso yet flowed loose and smoothly past the hips. One hip-high leg slit allowed her shapely left leg to be exposed. Her gorgeous red mane was pulled back, into a sort of ponytail, then twisted & pulled up and held by a clip to the back of her head to show her neck, shoulders, and back. Matching color high heel shoes with straps adorned her feet, and given her natural beauty, make-up was kept at a minimum with light pink eye shadow, slight blush, and light red lipstick

"Thanks, Monique," Kim replied to her friend's compliment. "I know Ron loves this evening gown best out of all the ones I have."

Coming up to the redhead, a smiling Monique looked at Kim's hairstyle. "You've done your hair differently than you did last year when you wore this gown." She gave a slight chuckle. "Come to think about it, I don't recall seeing you ever wear your hair up like this."

Kim nodded as her hand reached up to pat the hair at the back of the head. "Yeah, I like my hair to be mostly loose and free, but I'd decided that I might try something new for a change." Her lips and green eyes, as they held Monique's brown ones, became sly. "I remembered last year Ron complained that my hair had gotten in the way for him to kiss my neck from behind. His lips this year will have plenty of **open space** to maneuver now."

Monique pretended to fan her face. "Woo! You're going to cook Naco Boy tonight, Dragon Lady!" Both young women giggled.

Kim took a few steps to pull open her nightstand's small drawer. Taking out a small jewelry box from the drawer, she opened the lid and her hand reached in to remove two diamond stud earrings. "Yeah, Monique, I know we're going to have fun tonight," she said as she placed on the earrings. Next her hand took out a three-row pearl necklace with a pearl teardrop hanging on the bottom.

"Well," Monique began as Kim wrapped the necklace around her neck, "this is our last party before the…" Her face grimaced. "Heavy studying in the days ahead."

Her hand took out a three-row pearl bracelet before Kim closed the jewelry box. "I know, Monique," she frowned as she attached the bracelet around her left wrist. Her lips gave a small grin. "So let's have as much fun as we can tonight."

"You betcha ya, girlfriend." Monique matched her best friend's grin.

Walking over to Monique's full-length closet mirror, Kim inspected herself and gave a satisfied grin on what she saw. "Well, I'm ready as ever." Turning around she took a few steps to her desk chair and picked up the formal woman's winter coat that hung there. The coat was knee-length with soft fur on the inside lining and around the neck. It had been her mother's until the previous Thanksgiving when Mrs. Possible had given the coat to Kim to wear for formal occasions. Her mother insisted she have the coat, since she already has two other formal winter coats anyway.

Placing on the coat and buttoning it up, Kim faced Monique and saw she has placed on her formal winter coat, which was nothing fancy like Kim's but least it kept her warm. After placing on her coat, Monique quickly turned off the music on her computer.

Eying the digital clock on the nightstand, she saw it was 6:45 PM. "Come on, let's go," Kim said with a grin as she retrieved her strapless purple purse from the bed. Monique picked up her black strapless purse on her nightstand and followed Kim out the dorm room. The African-American woman shut off the lights before closing the door behind her.

* * *

Inspecting the results with a keen eye, Loretta Brown came to the conclusion that it was finished. "Debbie, I believe you're good to go," she smiled as her brown eyes moved from the back of Debra's head to the bathroom's mirror, where she held Debra's blue eyes through the reflection. Loretta picked up a handheld mirror from the sink countertop and positioned it behind her roommate's head.

"Thanks, Loretta," Debra beamed at her friend's mirror image through the mirror as her eyes surveyed her hair through the reflection of the handheld mirror. "It looks great." Her blonde/brown hair was in a nice, smooth, loose flat bun at the back of her head held by a hairclip in the center of the bun. A few strands fell in front of her ears along side her cheeks. A few weeks ago, at the memorial ceremony for those who died during the brief Drakken War, she had her hair in a tight bun, which appeared quite rigid. Now, however, her hair made her look quite feminine in a formal way.

"You're welcome, Deb," Loretta replied with a warm grin. Her free hand squeezed Debra's shoulder before she placed the handheld mirror back on the vanity. After that, she left the bathroom as Debra began to apply make-up to her face.

As Debra carefully brushed light-blue eye shadow onto her eyelids, her ears picked up the music and lyrics playing from the small radio on Loretta's nightstand.

_Have a holly, jolly Christmas;  
It's the best time of the year  
I don't know if there'll be snow,  
but have a cup of cheer.  
Have a holly, jolly Christmas;  
And when you walk down the street  
Say Hello to friends you know  
and everyone you meet. _

She couldn't help but grin. It seems almost every radio station was playing holiday music at this time of year.

Finished with the eye shadow, the young woman gently brushed some blush over her cheeks. Not much though, but just enough to make her face pretty. The final touch was light pink lipstick to the lips, and after applying it, she gave a sly grin at the face in the mirror. Even without make-up, Debra knew she had a pretty face, and she only wore make-up for special occasions and rarely did she spruce herself during those occasions. Tonight was the exception and she knew right now she looked beautiful.

Looking down at her sleeve-less, black, wide hem, ankle-length dress, the same one she wore at the memorial service weeks ago, she made certain it was smoothed from wrinkles and the top portion hugged just right on her chest to give modest cleavage. Satisfied that the two-strap dress was okay, Debra walked out of the bathroom toward her bed, where she scooped up the matching full-sleeved, open crop jacket, which completed the attire.

Sitting at her desk with one leg over the other, Loretta watched Debra slip on the jacket and smooth it out. She gave a low whistle and grinned broadly. "Looking hot, Debbie girl!"

Shaking her head slightly as she chuckled, Debra pointed to her roommate. "Same as you, Loretta."

Standing up, the native New Yorker proudly displayed herself. "You got it, Deb! I'm smoking!"

Instead of a dress, Loretta opted for a white/silver formal woman's pants suit with white high heels and jacket, which had a V-neck that stopped just above the cleavage. Her shoulder-length black hair was slicked back with hair jell, and the only pieces of jewelry she wore were white, teardrop earrings. The white of the suit made a great contrast with her brown skin.

Pulling out her nightstand's drawer, Debra took out a small, Japanese decorated jewelry box, and after opening it, removed two sets of jewelry. Small diamond stud earrings were attached to her ears, and a small golden heart in a golden chain went around her neck, where the small necklace positioned the heart just below her adam's apple.

Her blue eyes momentarily rested on the nightstand's digital clock. "Loretta, you can go ahead to the ball without me, since you've already helped me with my hair." She turned around to face the other woman. "I know you want to meet up with your friends."

Loretta's lips turned crafty. "Or perhaps you want me to leave so you will be alone with your **date**?"

Feeling her cheeks slightly burning, Debra gave a giggle. "Yeah, that too."

Picking up her coat from the desk chair and donning it, Loretta gave a mock-ticked expression as she waved a hand. "Say no more, Miss Tsuda. I know better than to hang around when your boyfriend arrives. You perhaps want to snog him before leaving for the ball."

Debra's eyes went wide as she laughed. "Loretta! So not true!" With that said, she gently slapped her friend on the arm, causing Loretta to grin widely with mirth. Debra may not have learned every American slang term since arriving in the United States a year and an half ago, but she definitely knew what 'snog' meant.

Grabbing her white purse off the bed and shouldering her arm through the arm strap, Loretta, face still mirthful, made way to the exit. "I'll catch ya at the convention hall, Debbie!"

"Right," Debra responded, her face grinning with arms crossed. She was still a bit tweaked over Loretta's joke.

With a wave and a wink at the younger woman, Loretta left, leaving Debra alone with the holiday music playing from the radio.

Knowing she had enough time, Debra went to her closet and retrieved a pair of black high heel shoes to slip on her black-stocking covered feet. She had worn flat slipper shoes at the memorial, but tonight, high heels were a must for a formal ball.

With high heels on her feet, the young athlete knew she was ready. Her formal coat was on her desk chair, and the black, strapless purse was on her desk. All she has to do now was wait for her escort to arrive. So she strolled a few steps to the windows and gazed at the landscape under the clear night sky. The moon was already above the buildings, and the various lights from lampposts and buildings, as well as the moonlight, reflected a bit off the snow.

Many minutes later, Debra heard a knock at the door, and she quickly moved to answer it. Opening the door, she smiled at the sight of Felix wearing a formal men's winter coat over a black suit with white shirt and black tie. His hair was combed back, completing the image of a properly well-dressed man. "Hi, Felix," she greeted.

Upon seeing her, Felix was momentarily blown away before he returned Debra's smile with his own. Debra was a bit petite, but her well-shape, lithe body and physical attributes put many women to shame. "You look gorgeous," Felix said.

Her smile grew wider. "Thank you," she replied, pleased for the flattering remark. Her eyes narrowed as she slyly looked up-and-down Felix's form. "I have to say you're looking quite handsome."

Felix smirked as he cocked his head to the side. "I aim to please." Both chuckled. "So," he began as their laughter died off, "are you ready?"

She raised a finger. "Give me a moment." Retreating back into the dorm room as Felix watched, Debra retrieved her coat and purse before turning off the lights and the radio. She came back out and locked the door behind her before placing the coat on. After buttoning up the coat, she smiled at her escort. "Now I'm ready."

"Where's Loretta?" Felix asked as his wheelchair rolled down the hallway with Debra walking besides him.

"She went ahead of me," Debra answered as she briefly locked eyes with his. "We'll see her at the ball."

"Good" Felix said with a small grin. "Seems like everyone will be there tonight," he finished as they reached the elevator, which was just before the stairs.

Debra giggled as she pressed the elevator button. "Oh, we know that not **everyone** will be there, Felix." The doors opened before them. "I doubt the entire student population can fit in the convention hall."

Both chuckled as they entered the elevator, and after Felix pressed the button for the first floor, the doors closed in front of their amused forms.

* * *

On the opposite side of the university from the athletic campus stood Upperton U's convention hall. It was a building roughly three stories high and made mostly of marble stone. With the exception of the rear addition, narrow high windows were placed all around the building. It was built in the late 1940's for the purpose of providing a place for large gatherings or small meetings. The university's main auditorium was okay for events such as the annual orientation for first time students, but it was unsuitable for certain events, like career day, science/engineering fairs, or even a holiday ball.

The convention hall was also one of the university's moneymakers, for not only was it used for university purposes, it also was occasionally rented to nearby businesses and organizations. This was why the building had a large parking lot off one side with a road leading to the main road, so people coming from outside the university could easily find it. Oh, the hall certainly was nowhere in the league of Middleton's huge convention center, but for businesses and organizations who don't need such a large place for a meeting or convention, Upperton U's convention hall was ideally suited.

As for now, the convention hall was host for Upperton University's Annual Christmas/Holiday Ball for students and facility. All the outside lights on the walls and ground were on, and some of the ground lights had green, red, and blue color filters to light up the outside walls in holiday colors. Even a Christmas tree, little lights blinking on and off, was placed off one side of the wide, large front stairs.

Approaching the front of the hall on a walkway, Felix and Debra took in the sight before them. "They've done a good job this year," Felix admitted as they stopped and stood at the bottom of the front steps as a few people walked past them up the stairs.

Debra shrugged a bit as her eyes wondered over the structure. "This is my first time I've visited this building, Felix." Felix's head turned to face her upon hearing this. "Until now, I didn't need to ever come here."

"Really?" Felix asked.

Giving a small grin, she turned to face him, puffs of white clouds appearing in front of her face as she breathed out into the cold air. "Yes, really. I'm not a member of any clubs or university organizations. I'm satisfied with just being a member of the girls' gymnastic team, nothing more."

Felix gave a small grin. "Well, Ron and I occasionally come here for meetings as members of the Science Fiction & Gaming Club. Not always, given our meetings could just as easily be held in any of the lounges at the student center."

Debra blinked in confusion and disbelief. "How many members are in your club?"

Felix smiled, for he knew what Debra was really asking with that question. "There's roughly 300 members in our club," he said yet continued on seeing she was about to speak, "but not everyone attends every meeting, Debra." Seeing she was still confused, Felix chuckled. "Deb, we can't hold our meetings to conform to the school schedule of every member. Whether a member can attend or not, we will hold our meetings at the date and time we scheduled. This is why our president asks that every member tell him whether he or she can attend a meeting, so he will know whether to book a room here at the convention hall or simply just use a lounge at the student center. At times, we can get up to 100 members attending, we have to book a room here," he indicated the convention hall, "yet if only 20 to 30 members attend, we can easily fit in a student center's lounge."

"Oh," Debra said, her face showing she was a bit in a stupor. Giving a small sheepish grin, she shrugged it off. "As I said, I'm not a member of any clubs, so I don't know any of this anyway."

"Not even a member of any clubs when you were in Japan?" Felix inquired.

She shook her head with a slightly lopsided grin. "No, not even there." She closed her eyes as her body shivered a bit, causing her escort to notice with some concern.

"Come on, Deb," he said with a hand on her arm, "let's go inside, where it's warm."

"Hai," she agreed and began to climb the stone stairs. Instead opting for the long, winding handicap ramp off the stair's side, opposite from the Christmas tree, Felix just used his wheelchair's hover abilities to drift over the steps along side Debra.

"Got your ticket?" he asked as they drew near the top.

Debra grinned and raised the purse in her hand. "Right in here." Felix grinned in return.

The one drawback to the annual holiday ball was that the convention hall could not hold the entire university's student & facility population. Therefore, tickets had been sold, starting in mid-November, to a limited number of students and facility on a 'first-come, first-serve' basis. To prevent ticket scalping, the administration had only allowed each buyer to purchase no more than two tickets.

Upon reaching the top, Felix returned his chair to normal mode, before the pair moved toward five sets of double doors, evenly spaced along the wide width of the front stairs. Each door was made of steel with engraved designs and a narrow rectangle window in the middle. Four of the double-door sets were closed off with crowd-control lines, leaving only the center set for anyone to enter the building.

Felix and Debra entered through the double-doors to find themselves facing two university security officers. One stood besides a small box on a stand.

"Tickets?" the officer next to the stand said.

Debra popped open her purse to retrieve and hand over her ticket. Felix followed after getting his ticket out of his coat's breast pocket. The officer ripped the each ticket in two and handed back one half to each person and the other half into the box.

"Enjoy yourselves," the officer said with a smile.

"Thank you," Debra replied with a grin before walking past the officers, while Felix only grinned and trailed her into the vast red-carpeted lobby of the convention hall.

Felix couldn't help but feel amused as he watched Debra gaze awestruck at the interior of the convention hall. "This place looks like it came out of a fairy tale book!" she exclaimed, making the wheel-chaired man chuckle.

Exactly centered with the central-front double-doors was a wide carpeted staircase that extended up to another lobby, which was situated in front of the main convention room/ballroom. A large sparkling chandelier hung from the ceiling over the staircase, while two smaller chandeliers were off to each side of the larger one, equally distanced over the width of the building. Easily seen at each end of the front lobby was a ramp that descends down and disappears under the main convention room's floor.

Using a finger, Felix pointed to one ramp. "Those ramps lead to smaller rooms that are underneath the top floor. My club, for example, only used a smaller room, since we don't normally get past 100 people in any of our meetings anyway."

Debra nodded in understanding, before she realized something. "Felix, I know you have your chair's hover ability to go up these stairs," she indicated to the stairs in front of them, "yet what about other handicap people? How can they get up there?"

Felix sighed and frowned a bit. "They have no choice but take one of the small ramps, down the hall, to an elevator at the rear of the building." He waved his hands to point to the entire lobby. "There's no way they could build an elevator here."

"True," Debra agreed, frowning.

Seeing a few well-dressed students passing them to ascend the stairs, Felix activated his chair's hover ability again and took Debra's hand. He smiled at her as he dragged her up the stairs. "Come on, Deb," sensing Debra's slight melancholy mood due to the previous conversation, "let's get to the party."

Laughing, Debra nodded. "All right! All right!" she cried out as she struggled to keep pace with Felix as he pulled her along. "Stop yanking me already!" Felix laughed; making Debra gently slap him on the arm in mock irritation, yet her eyes twinkled.

Stepping onto the main convention room's lobby, Felix's chair again returned to normal. Around them, there were a few people talking and mingling in small groups on small couches and chairs near the walls or rails. In front of Debra and Felix were three opened, wooden double-doors, where they saw the ball was going on at full swing with music, dancing, and more people socializing while standing or sitting at tables.

The pair passed through the center double-doors and into the ballroom, where once more Debra stood in awe at what she saw.

The convention hall's main room/ballroom was quite large, at least three times larger than the main student center's cafeteria, and able to hold 1500 people comfortably. A chandelier, a bit larger than the one outside above the staircase, was in the exact center of the cathedral-high room over the dance floor, which was surrounded by round tables that could seat least eight people each. Situated out from the large chandelier were smaller ones. All walls had opened, wooden double-doors with the exception of the three rear double-doors, which were closed, and through the doors one could see that the lobby outside surrounded the ballroom by carpeted side halls and the one in the rear. Above each double-door was a ceiling-high, stain-glass window.

Even though the lighting inside the ballroom was dimmer than outside in the lobby and the surrounding halls, Debra's eyes didn't have to adjust much at all. She turned to face her escort, who was again amused in seeing her astonishment. "This is quite a beautiful ballroom! It looks like something out of the 19th century!"

"It was designed that way, yes," Felix replied, still grinning. He pointed to the wooden floor. "The entire room can be one huge dance floor, if needs to be." His index finger rose to point at the rear of the room. "If someone needs the room to be a convention room, the staff could easily set up a raised stage platform at the rear and place rows of chairs in front of the stage."

Nodding, Debra again surveyed the room as her hands unbuttoned her coat; now that she felt quite warm due that she was indoors and not outdoors. "As I said, this is quite a beautiful ballroom."

"Debra!" a familiar female voice caught Debra and Felix's attention to their right. They smiled upon seeing whom it was strolling toward them.

"Kim!" Debra greeted as she walked a few steps toward the approaching smiling redhead and both women embraced in a hug, while Felix rolled just besides them.

Breaking the hug, Kim turned and gazed down at Felix. "Felix," she said before reaching down and hugging her friend, who hugged her back. After a few moments, she parted and kissed his cheek before rising up again.

"Kim," Felix smirked, "you're wearing that gown again. With your hair up like that, Ron is going to have a heart attack."

"I say!" Debra agreed as she eyed Kim's purple evening gown. "That is quite a revealing gown, Kim!"

Chuckling, Kim struck a pose for her friends. "Yep, and Ron just **loves** it!" Her green eyes examined Debra's dress through the open coat. "I see you're wearing the dress you wore at the memorial service, Debra."

"Yeah," Debra grinned as she looked down at herself, "it is the best American dress I have in my wardrobe." Her face rose to eye Kim as her lips turned sly. "I certainly do not have anything **fancy** like yours, Kim."

"True," Kim admitted, matching Debra's expression, "but with high heels and your face and hair the way it is now, I have no doubt you'll have people turning their heads to you as well." Both girls giggled, while Felix gave a slight grin as he shook his head.

"Come on," Kim said with a wave of a hand to follow her. "Monique and I claimed a table for us to sit. George joined us 30 minutes ago."

With that said, Debra and Felix followed their friend along the edge of the ballroom until they reached a table three-fourths of the way into the room. It was nicely situated close by the dance floor with easy distance to the buffet at the front, and, like all the tables in the room, it has green paper tablecloth and in the center of the table, a small lit bowl-candle in the middle of a holiday holly wreath. As they came close to the table, Monique and George rose from their seats to greet the newcomers, while Rufus watched from the table, eating cheese and chips on a strong, red, plastic plate.

Monique came forward, and she and Debra hugged while Kim stood besides the two. "Great to see you here at last, Debbie girl!" she said in the young girl's ear.

As the girls embraced each other, Felix raised a hand to allow a grinning George to grasp it in a buddy grip. "Felix, my man, welcome to the party!"

"I wasn't going to miss it this year," Felix replied, grinning.

After Monique and Debra released each other, Debra placed her purse on the table and then took off her coat as the group settled around the table. Monique and George sat down as Debra, following the example of how the others had hung their coats, hung her coat over the back of an unused chair next to Kim's best female friend. Kim stood between Monique and Debra, who greeted Rufus with a smile and pat on his head.

After withdrawing her hand from the little mole rat's head, Debra sighed. "It's good to be indoors and take off this coat," she said, while Felix maneuvered his wheelchair between Debra and George. "At least it's nice and warm in here despite the wide open space."

Kim gave a small grin. "The heating system had been upgraded when they had added the rear addition and made renovations ten years ago. I've been told it's far better than the old system that didn't properly heat the entire ballroom, leaving some areas cold and other areas too warm."

"Yeah," Felix agreed as he took off his coat. "I heard stories that some people back then had to go to the hospital for frostbite"

Giving a snort/laugh, Debra gave a skeptical look. "I find that hard to believe, Felix." She reached over to take his coat. "Here, I'll put yours over mine."

"Thanks, Debra," Felix said as the young woman placed his coat over hers on her chair. After that, he turned his head to face George. "Did you wear that suit last year?" Felix and the girls eyed George's simple brown suit with white shirt, brown tie, and brown shoes. The sophomore student's brown ponytail hair was more fully pulled back than he normally wore.

George gave a half frown and grin. "Yeah, I did, don't you remember?" But before Felix could respond, George slapped a hand over his eyes and held the other one up to prevent any comments. "Wait, I remember now." He uncovered his eyes and pointed to Felix. "You weren't here last year."

Felix smugly pointed to George. "Now you remember!" The girls giggled, making George grin.

"Hey, least you weren't here to see me gentlemanly sweep the ladies off their feet," George proclaimed grandly.

Kim rolled her eyes, Rufus gave a razz-berry, and Monique huffed as she placed her left hand on her left hip. "Castle, you weren't even a gentleman last year!" With her other hand, she dismissed him with a wave. "You were more like a party animal than a man."

George pretended that a knife had plunged into his heart. "Oh, I've been stabbed again by Queen Monique. Oh, the pain!" Debra and Felix laughed, while Kim and Monique just grinned and shook their heads at his antics. Rufus just continued eating, rolling his eyes.

Her laughter dying down, Debra gazed around the table. "Speaking of gentlemen," she began as her eyes settled on Kim's green ones, "where's Ron?"

With a surprised, amused expression, Monique pointed to Debra as the others grinned. "That's right! She doesn't know!"

Befuddled, Debra's eyes went from Monique to George before saying, "What don't I know?" then went to Felix before settling again on Kim with a raised eyebrow.

Amused, Upperton U's head female cheerleader crooked a finger to the freshman student. "Follow me, Debra. You'll see." With that said, Kim led Debra away toward the buffet.

Smiling, Felix immediately pulled away from the table. "I want to see this," he said to George and Monique before reeling after the two women.

Rufus tried to follow, but George held the little guy back. "Not so fast, Rufus! You promised Ron, remember?" The little guy groaned and sulked a bit. He'd promised not to even be near the buffet, as Ron's professor wouldn't like seeing the mole rat near the food in public. It would have made problems if people thought the food has been contaminated.

As Kim and Debra came near the long buffet table, Debra noticed ten students in chefs' attires were helping serve the food from behind the table. One of them was the familiar form of Ron Stoppable. Despite knowing he could cook, the young woman was taken aback at seeing him dressed as a chef.

"Debra!" Ron, behind a pan of warming food, cried out in greeting upon seeing her standing besides his beloved Kim. "Felix, my man!"

"Hi, Ron," Debra managed a grin, still a bit shocked.

"Yo, Ronster!" Felix waved as his chair rolled up to stand next to Debra.

Ron turned to Debra and gave her his Ron Smile. "You're looking quite beautiful tonight, Deb. Not as beautiful as Kim though," he eyed his steady girlfriend with narrowed, loving eyes.

"Nice save, Naco Boy," Kim smirked, pleased on his flattering remark. Ron winked back, making Kim giggle.

After giving a snort of a laugh at the loving behavior before her, Debra waved a hand to Ron. "So, Ron, why are you behind the table serving food and not out **here** next to your girlfriend?"

"Ah!" Ron raised a finger up with a face that looked like the cat that ate the canary. "It's time for this Junior to tell the Froshie of yet another Upperton U tradition." Felix softly laughed at this, while Debra and Kim smiled.

With a wave of his hand, Ron began to explain. "Every year in mid-November, ten of the best student chefs of Upperton U are selected to prepare the Christmas Ball's banquet! Out of the ten, a head student chef is chosen to determine the menu, and the head student chef, under the professor's supervision, leads the other nine to prepare and cook the foods prior before the start of the ball."

Things became clear to Debra now. "So you're one of the ten selected, right?"

"Right," Ron beamed.

Grinning, Felix held Debra's elbow to get her attention. "Deb, look at Ron's uniform. See anything different about it compared to the other nine chefs?"

Head turning back to Ron, the young woman eyed his chef uniform, turned slightly to examine the other nine students as they served food to people, and finally back to Ron, who was waiting for her to get the picture. "Your shirt is red, while the others are white," Debra finally spoke as Felix let go of her elbow. "That means you're head student chef."

"Got in one try!" Ron exclaimed joyously with both index fingers pointing at her. "This is my first year I've been elected head student chef compared to the past two years when I was just one of the regular nine selected."

"So all these food dishes," Debra indicated with her hand to whole row of cuisines with heavenly aromas, rich desserts, and very large bowl of punch at the very end, "were your choices to put on the menu?" Ron just smiled widely to display that she was correct. "I'm impressed, Ron." Her expression clearly showed that she was.

"As anyone should be," a female voice came from the side. "Ron is considered the best student chef Upperton U had in many years."

Debra, Felix, and Kim turned their heads to the left, which was Ron's right, and saw a female student chef walk over to Ron and place a hand on his shoulder. She was Debra's height, sans high heels, with tanned skin, short black hair, and dark eyes behind oval glasses.

Ron grinned at her. "Thanks, Ivy, yet I couldn't have done everything without the help of my bon-diggity crew." He nodded toward the other student chefs before turning to his friends on the other side of the table and focusing on Debra. "Debra, this is Ivy Mae, a friend in my cooking class and a junior-year student." With a hand gesturing to Debra, Ron turned his head to Ivy. "Ivy, this is Debra Oxford Tsuda."

Ivy reached over the table and held out her hand, which Debra took. "Glad to meet you, Debra," she said with a grin as they shook hands.

"Likewise," Debra replied with a polite grin. After another handshake, they retracted their hands.

Ivy, still grinning, moved her focus to the wheel-chaired man. "It's been a long time since I last seen you, Felix."

"Same here, Ivy," Felix grinned in greeting.

"Okay," Debra began, "I understand you're the head chef and everything, Ron," she then frowned, "yet that still means you're stuck behind this table and will not be joining the fun of the ball." Everyone chuckled, making Debra even more confused.

Kim placed a hand on her young friend's shoulder. "Debra… Ron, Ivy, and the others will be joining the party soon. For the first couple hours after the start of the ball, they have to serve the food to represent themselves as the ball's chefs. It gives them good publicity."

Ivy took over clarifying things just as Kim withdrew her hand from Debra's shoulder. "In another hour or so, the ten of us will be free to change into proper evening clothes and we'll be able to enjoy the ball for the rest of the evening."

"Oh," Debra blinked, as she understood before her eyes narrowed when a thought came to her. "Wait a minute." Her eyes locked onto Ron's brown eyes. "Did you pay to get into the ball as the rest of us did?"

"Nope," Ron smirked. "The ten of us and our prof get to enjoy the ball for free!"

"Lucky you," Debra snorted/laughed, while Felix chuckled.

Kim gave a mock tweaked expression. "Yeah, too bad the free pass doesn't extend to his girlfriend."

Ron smiled. "I don't make the rules, KP," he said with hands spread out in show of helplessness. "Yet, in an hour, after I change into my sleek suit, I'm going to dance the first dance," he pointed to Kim, "with my hot girlfriend."

Kim's lips curled up smugly. "And you'll give the **last** dance to your hot girlfriend as well, Mr. Stoppable."

"I always do," Ron shot back, making Kim grinned wider.

Ivy tapped his shoulder to get Ron's attention. "Remember, you owe me the second dance." With that said, she returned to her duties as she waved to Kim, who winked backed.

After grinning at Ivy's retreating back, Ron returned to eye Debra and Felix. "So what will it be?" he waved to the vast selection of food.

Felix quickly handed Debra a red plastic plate. "Now that you've mentioned it," Debra said, "I'm starving."

"Same here," Felix followed, picking up a plate for himself. "So what's the best you got, Ron man?"

As Ron explained the entrées, Debra noticed Kim didn't grab a plate. "Kim? Are you going to pick up anything?"

The redhead beauty shook her head. "No. Monique, George, and I already had our fill of the main entrées. I'll just grab another cup of punch and a brownie," she pointed to the dessert selections.

So as Ron guided Felix and Debra through the selections of the main courses, Kim snatched up a brownie and filled a cup with punch. The punch bowl was the last item in the entire buffet line, as it sat not far from the Christmas tree, which was placed in front of the exact center of the room's rear wall. To the left of the tree was the DJ, whose CD-disk players were hooked into the ballroom's speaker system, which filled the entire room evenly with music.

_It's the most wonderful time of the year.  
__With the kids jingle belling,  
__and everyone telling you,  
__"Be of good cheer,"  
__It's the most wonderful time of the year._

* * *

TBC in Chapter/Part 2


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimers: The usual ones mentioned in Chapter/Part 1. Blah, blah, blah.

* * *

"Felix!" Debra laughed as she gave him a slight push on his shoulder. He and everyone, sitting around the table, joined in the laughter. "That didn't really happen, did it?"

"Sure did," Felix slyly grinned at her. "I know it wasn't funny at the time, but the empty metal box really did fly back-and-forth in the wind tunnel like a yo-yo. Motor Ed was hit a few times in the head. Looking back at that mission with Kim and Ron, I can't help but laugh at the vision of Motor Ed being slapped silly." Debra giggled.

Kim, sitting on Monique's right, smiled at the memories. "That was a mission to remember. I was surprised later to find out Ed and Drakken were cousins." She frowned in thought. "I wonder what happened to Ed."

George leaned forward, elbows on the table. "Maybe he'd decided to toe the line and open a mechanic's shop," he smirked.

Scoffing, Kim waved away such a possibility, yet she amusedly smirked. "Get real. Ed? Toe the line? Seriously, he'll just say, 'Me? Toe the line? Seriously, Red, I'm not going to retire! Seriously!'" Everyone laughed at the image.

"Debbie!" a female voice attracted everyone's attention, and they saw Loretta approaching their table with two women just behind her. One was a tall blond wearing a light blue spaghetti-strap dress with a knee-length hem, and the other was an African-American wearing a simple green dress with her short black hair in cornwalls.

"Loretta!" Debra welcomed just before her dorm roommate stopped just besides her chair and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Suzie, Jasmine, hi!" she said to the other two women, who returned Debra's greeting.

Loretta beamed down at Debra. "I thought I'd stop by, Debbie! My team and I are sitting on a table on the other side of the dance floor. I'd saw you come in an hour ago, yet I figured I'd wait until you finished eating first before we came by."

Looking around the table, Loretta realized the others were looking at her pointedly. "Oh, introductions are called for." She grinned and turned to her companions. "Everyone, this is Suzie Monroe," she gestured to the blonde, "and Jasmine Steel," gesturing to the African-American.

Debra's roommate turned back to the table. "Suzie, Jasmine, this is Kim Possible," her finger pointed to Kim. "Monique Williams," pointing to Monique next. "You know Debra," patting Debra's shoulder. "This is Felix Renton," her hand waved to Felix. "The ponytail guy is George Castle," her finger pointing at George, "and the little mole rat is Rufus," she finished with a finger at Rufus.

Everyone exchanged polite greetings, before George spoke up. "You said 'team', Loretta. Since you've mentioned it, you, Suzie, and Jasmine reminded me something." His eyes went wide before snapping his fingers and pointing to Loretta. "Now I remember! You're on the girls' basketball team!"

"That's right," Suzie said with a grin.

Grinning, Loretta shook her head at the group. "When I first met you guys and gals through Debbie, I thought you would have recognized me. Took you this long to figure it out, eh?"

"Well, you can't expect **everyone** to identify you right off the starting gate, girlfriend," Monique called out. Her index finger aimed at Felix and George as her lips curled into a teasing lopsided grin. "These two and Ron are the sports freaks, not Kim and I."

"Hey!" Felix cried out, a bit perturbed, causing Kim and Monique to chuckled. "You can't expect us to remember every face in every sports team in Upperton U!" He faced Debra, who was grinning. "I'm surprised Debra didn't even tell us."

Debra shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I didn't think it was important. Besides," she narrowed her eyes and stabbed a finger into Felix's chest, "I thought you would recognize her, given how much you knew about the football team." She withdrew her finger and triumphantly smirked at her escort.

"Not entirely," Felix admitted with a sheepish grin.

Kim rose and walked over to stand between Monique and Debra. "Well, the important thing is that least we **now** know Loretta is a member of the basketball team."

Just then, George spotted something behind Kim that made him grin. Felix did the same, and when Monique and Debra saw what the guys saw, they too grinned slyly.

Kim didn't turn to see what her friends saw. She knew immediately whom it was coming up behind her before a large male hand went around the right side of her waist and another went up to hold her bare left shoulder. Her left hand went up to clasp the hand on her shoulder, and afterward, her lips curled into a warm, loving grin as her twinkling green eyes, without turning her head, rolled to the left to gaze into brown, loving eyes leaning slightly over her shoulder.

"Hi, beautiful," Ron whispered, his face looking like a man mesmerized.

"Hi there yourself, handsome," Kim softly spoke back. She could barely make out Ron's black suit with white shirt and black, bow tie. In response, Ron softly kissed her skin at the base of her neck and shoulder.

George smiled widely at the two lovebirds. "Do you two have any shame?" he ribbed

Turning her head to face her lover while maintaining eye contact, Kim replied. "Don't expect us to strip naked before you, Castle." Everyone laughed, while Kim and Ron chuckled before their lips connected for a quick smooch.

Sensing another person on her other side, Kim swiveled her head to find Ivy there. Ron's female friend was wearing a simple, long-sleeved black dress with a wide ankle-length skirt and black slipper shoes. Her short hair was nicely pinned up.

"Hi, Ivy," Kim acknowledged with a grin as she lowered her left hand and placed it over Ron's right hand on her waist.

Ivy looked up at the couple with an endearing grin. "Well, Ron found his steady date. I have to find mine."

Kim nodded toward the front of the ballroom. "Paul is with his friends at the front of the room, Ivy."

"Thanks, Kim," Ivy said with a grin. "I'll see you two on the dance floor." She strolled away toward the front of the room.

It was perfect timing that at that moment the speaker system blared with fast-pace, rock music.

Releasing his girlfriend before taking her right hand into his left, Ron gently pulled Kim toward the dance floor. "The Ron promised his hot girlfriend their first dance together for the evening, and he always keeps his promises."

Kim giggled, for this was Her Ron. "You got it, boyfriend of mine."

George waved a hand at Monique to follow him. "Come on, Monique! We can't just let Kim and Ron have all the fun alone!" he smiled. With that said, he rose from his seat and went onto the dance floor.

Monique stood up and went after George. "You better dance better than you did at DDR, Castle!"

Feeling the excitement, Debra bounded up and grabbed Felix's arm with both of hers. "Let's go, Felix!"

"What?" Felix said, feeling nervous. "No, no," he dismissed Debra with a wave. "I can't dance, Debra."

"Felix!" Debra was surprised at his refusal. "Just because you can't move your legs, doesn't mean you can't have any fun on the dance floor."

"She's right, Felix," Loretta chimed in.

Jasmine took a step to stand just behind the wheel-chaired man. "I know of a guy in my Chicago high school who was in a wheelchair. It didn't stop him from having fun on the dance floor. He'd do wheelies and other tricks with his wheelchair."

Loretta continued. "I bet you can do more interesting moves with this mechanized chair of yours than you could in a regular chair."

"Come on, Felix. Please," Debra pleaded. "I want to have my first dance of the ball with my escort." She could see Kim, Ron, George, and Monique were already dancing on the dance floor.

Looking up into Debra's gorgeous blue eyes, Felix's lips slowly turned into a grin. "Okay."

Gleefully pleased, Debra quickly kissed him on the cheek, just as Rufus leaped onto his lap. After that, he handled the joystick controller to slightly back-up the chair before rolling it forward toward the dance floor. As Debra tagged after him, she looked back to the other three girls. "Are you three joining us?"

Loretta broadly grinned as strolled/danced after her. "I'm with you, Debbie girl! Time to show you the Brown dance moves!"

Jasmine gladly joined them as well, while Suzie went back to the girls' basketball team's table to get the other members of the team to join in on the fun. Soon everyone was dancing together to beat of the music.

Many minutes later, after two more fast-pace songs and one slow song, Kim let Ivy have her time with Ron during a slow dance number. During the previous slow song, Kim and Ron had slow danced quite close, yet Ron and Ivy danced respectfully with one set of hands clasped together and her other hand on his shoulder and his other on her waist.

With the others taking a break from dancing for a moment, Kim danced alone besides Debra and Felix, who were slow dancing in lazy circles with her arms wrapped around his chest from behind as she bent over him. The petite gymnastic star occasionally glanced over at Ron and Ivy. What surprised her was when Ivy placed her head on his shoulder and Kim didn't even look peeved.

"Kim?" Debra asked quietly as Felix continued to dance them around. "I'm amazed you're okay with Ron dancing like that with other girls." Felix raised an eyebrow on this.

The redhead just grinned. "Debra, Ron and I **trust** each other. We both know we love each other and no one will ever get in the way of that. You think just because we're intimate means we can't dance or enjoy the company of other people we call friends?" Kim softly chuckled. "No. He can dance with other women and I with other men as long as we know we have each other."

Debra gave a soft grin. Kim and Ron truly did love and trust each other completely, knowing they could spend time with other people of the opposite sex without worrying about ruining their relationship. They knew they had plenty of time for themselves.

"So, if I dance with Ron, you're okay with it?" Debra's lips became impish.

Kim gently laughed yet waved a scolding finger at her. "Yes, you can dance with him, as long as you have no intentions to take him from me, you little minx." Debra winked back.

"What about me?" Felix asked, his tone obvious meant he was teasing.

"Oh, I'm sure you can dance with Kim," Debra responded as she leaned close to his head. "Monique? Loretta?" Her eyes sparkled as her lips drew closer to his ear to whisper softly that not even Kim could hear her. "Besides, I want to slow dance with you later… Just you and me."

Felix slightly turned his head to look into those sparkling blue eyes with his. "I look forward to it, Miss Tsuda."

"Likewise," Debra grinned before closing her eyes. She placed her cheek on the topside of his head and tightened her arms a bit. Felix grinned, enjoying her intimate embrace.

Kim smiled when Debra had drawn closer to Felix. It seemed that Debra might have a boyfriend before the Christmas Ball was over.

After their dance was over, Debra said she needed to go to the bathroom. Given Kim also wanted to head to the ladies' room, saying something about making sure her hair was okay, she accompanied Debra along with Monique. With Kim leading the way, the three ladies exited the ballroom through one of the side double-doors and headed toward the rear of the building. Once they reached the carpeted lobby-like hallway just behind the ballroom, Kim explained about this part of the building to the inexperienced Debra.

"The women's restroom is on this corner," she pointed to the lit sign showing the women's restroom in front of them, "while the men's restroom is on the other corner," her finger pointed to the corner at the other end of the rear hall. "In between is the elevator that goes down to the lower level and the entrance to the kitchen and service areas." Kim pointed to the closed double-doors.

Debra nodded in understanding. "This convention hall is quite remarkable. Very stylish and grand."

"Yep," Monique smiled at Debra's words. "It would have been magnificent if Middleton High had our," she gestured to Kim and herself, "senior prom here."

Kim chuckled. "Yeah, it would have made that night even more magical for Ron and I if the prom was held here." She smirked. "Just too bad this place is tad expensive for even Middleton High to afford renting for one night."

"Yeah, too bad," Monique agreed before strolling toward the entrance of the women's restroom as other women were entering and leaving it. "Come on you two. Let's freshen ourselves up so we can spend the rest of the night without worrying about toilet necessaries." Smiling, Kim and Debra followed the black girl, knowing she was right.

Several minutes later, being relieved and making sure their hair and make-up were okay, the three women emerged from the restroom. It was then that the lights, from the ceiling chandeliers and the wall-mounted lamps, were dimmed to a romantic soft glow.

"Ho, ho!" Monique exclaimed, being quite pleased. "It was about time they turned down the lights for the **amorous** atmosphere setting!"

"Really?" Debra questioned with amazement.

Kim's hand came to rest on Debra's arm as she delightfully clarified the sitch. "They do this every year. Sometime near 10 o'clock, they dim the lights to give a soft, romantic, holiday-feeling setting for the rest of the night." She pulled her friend's arm to follow her toward the ballroom's side doors, which they had exited earlier, with a merry Monique on their tails.

Debra drew in an astonished breath upon seeing the ballroom now. With the dimmer luminosity, the entire room did have a semi-romantic appearance now. The Christmas tree's lights were more noticeable as well as the tinsel and decorations lit by the lights. All the tables glowed from the candles. The new look certainly did have a holiday feel in it.

"_I'm definitely going to enjoy the rest of the night_,"Debra thought as her lips curled into an enchanting smile.

* * *

"Enjoying the party, Debbie?" Loretta asked as she walked up to Debra, who was chewing on a brownie at the buffet table. Hours after the start of the ball, there were still some desserts and punch left to snack on.

Debra smiled and nodded at her friend. "Hai! I'm definitely going to come to this ball every year until I graduate! It's quite fun!"

Loretta held up a hand and grinned. "You get no argument from me, Debbie. I too will try to attend all the Christmas Balls up until I graduate." She chuckled. "This ball is one of **the** main events of the school year, and after seeing it for the first time tonight, it's no wonder tickets for it go by fast once they are on sale."

Giving a snort/laugh, Debra held up a hand herself. "I believe it."

Eyeing the petite, nimble woman, the native New Yorker's lips quirked. "So why are you here at the dessert table and not out there," she thumbed toward the dance floor, "with your **date**?"

Head turning toward dance floor, Debra watched Felix moving around on his wheelchair with Monique sitting on his lap. Kim was dancing with George, while Ron was sitting at their table.

Debra slightly shrugged. "Well, we can't be together all the time, Loretta. Surely even you know it's nice to spend time with other people instead of being occupied every minute with one person. Besides…" Her lips devilishly grinned as her eyes once more focused on her friend. "I get to spend time with Felix alone later."

"Woo hoo!" Loretta excitedly said. "Go for it, Debbie girl!" Debra slightly blushed, for she was tickled at the thought.

_Call on your angels  
Come down to the city  
Crowd around the big tree  
All you strangers who know me  
Bring your compassion  
Your understanding  
Lord how we need it  
On this New York City Christmas_

Loretta gave a fond grin upon hearing the lyrics, her head turning to watch the dancers move slowly to the music. "I'll always love this song," she whispered.

Titling her head sideways a bit, Debra paid attention to the lyrics, scrunching her face a bit. "New York Christmas?"

"Yep," the sophomore student answered, her grin still on her face. "I will always love my hometown, Deb. No matter where I go, I will always consider myself a New Yorker." She turned to face her roommate. "The Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. The tree and decorations at Lincoln Center." Debra warmly grinned. "The shopping plazas and malls spruced to the nine with holiday decorations and such." Loretta nodded. "Oh yes, New York City has its own unique holiday spirit at this time of year." Her grin broadened. "And to top it, the lowering of the New Year ball at Times Square! Woo! Every year it's a grand party!"

After taking a bite of brownie, Debra raised an eyebrow. "If you love your hometown that much, Loretta, why didn't you attend any of the universities there? I read that New York City has some of the finest universities and colleges in the country."

"True," Loretta admitted. "I could have easily attended Cornell or even the New York State University of New York City." She shrugged and gave a small grin. "I'd wanted to check out life outside New York for a change. Spread my wings and fly." She pointed a finger at Debra. "Yet as I said, I will always be a New Yorker no matter **where** I go." Debra grinned and nodded in understanding.

Catching her attention, Debra peered around Loretta to look at something, and Loretta twisted her torso to see what caught her roomie's interest. Ron Stoppable had walked up to the DJ and spoke to him, and after a moment, the DJ grinned and spoke back, making Ron grin and give two thumbs up.

"What he's doing?" Debra curiously asked.

"Looks like he asked for a song request, Deb," Loretta replied as they watched Ron returne to their group's table. "Given what we've seen, we'll know soon enough what's the song he requested. The DJ usually will play a request a song or two down the line from the current selection being played."

Finishing her brownie, Debra heard the last notes of "New York Christmas" fade away and the dancers on the dance floor paused a bit. She saw as Monique got up from Felix's lap, said a few words to him, and went back to their table. Seeing he was now free, Debra turned to Loretta.

"I'm going to claim my date now," she grinned before heading toward the dance floor.

"I'm going to join you, Deb," Loretta said as she strolled after her.

On the dance floor, a slow-paced song was starting when Debra drew near her wheel-chaired escort. His face lit up upon seeing her. "Hi, there," she grinned at him. "You don't mind sharing this dance with me?"

Felix shook his head, still grinning. "Not at all."

He was pleasantly surprised when Debra sat on his lap and placed both legs over his left thigh before wrapping her arms around his neck. She placed her left cheek on his right shoulder and sighed. Soon she felt the chair moving around in lazy circles as the romantic melody lured her to close her eyes.

After awhile, her blue eyes opened to see Felix was watching her with a soft, warm expression. As the wheelchair moved about, Debra saw George was now dancing with Loretta and Kim was with Ron. Kim grinned and winked over Ron's shoulder at Debra, making the gymnastic athlete close her eyes again and smile contently at being this close with Felix.

She wished the song would last, but it wasn't long before it ended. Afterward, Debra opened her eyes and smiled up at Felix, who smiled back.

The opening notes of the next song made Debra realized it was a Christmas carol. She knew its lyrics well, and when the first words of the carol came out of the speakers, Debra sang along with it with joy.

_Said the night wind to the little lamb,  
"Do you see what I see?  
Way up in the sky, little lamb,  
Do you see what I see?  
A star, a star, dancing in the night  
With a tail as big as a kite,  
With a tail as big as a kite."_

Felix's eyes went wide at first when Debra began singing, as she had said she wouldn't sing in public. The last time she sang fully was at the memorial service weeks ago. Yet here she was joyfully singing, and soon he was grinning in wonder at her, for her voice was beautiful.

Debra raised her head to fully look into Felix's eyes as she continued singing in synch with the lyrics.

_Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy,  
"Do you hear what I hear?  
Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy,  
Do you hear what I hear?  
A song, a song high above the trees  
With a voice as big as the the sea,  
With a voice as big as the the sea."_

Everyone on the dance floor as well as the entire room stopped in their tracks, for Debra's musical tones were spellbinding. The dance floor's occupants parted to allow Felix to glide into the center under the huge chandelier. Her heart swelling, Kim gripped Ron's hand and both smiled as they watched and listened to Debra. Grinning, George and Loretta stood side-by-side as they too watched and listened. Rufus and Monique, at the table, both sighed with warm grins. The same went for everyone else, for there wasn't a soul in the room Debra's voice hadn't touched.

_Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king,  
"Do you know what I know?  
In your palace warm, mighty king,  
Do you know what I know?  
A Child, a Child shivers in the cold-  
Let us bring him silver and gold,  
Let us bring him silver and gold."_

Debra was aware that everyone was watching, but she didn't care. Her spirits soaring, she kept her focus on Felix, and she felt she was singing just for him.

_Said the king to the people everywhere,  
"Listen to what I say!  
Pray for peace, people, everywhere,  
Listen to what I say!  
The Child, the Child sleeping in the night  
He will bring us goodness and light,  
He will bring us goodness and light." _

As her voice died down and the song ended, the entire room broke out in applause. It was thunderous. Some even whistled, while others hooted. Debra even saw Loretta clapping and nearly shouting, "Wooooo! Way to go, Debbie!"

Smiling, she returned her gaze to the man whose lap she was sitting on. Felix smiled and leaned over to whisper for her ears only. "That was **very beautiful**, Debra."

Feeling her cheeks blushing, Debra leaned forward to whisper back. "Thank you," she smiled.

Kim and Ron strolled up to them, hands still clasping, while George and Loretta approached Debra and Felix from behind.

"That was **absolutely** fabulous, Debra!" Kim beamed down at her younger friend.

"I say!" Loretta agreed. She placed a hand on Debra's left shoulder. "Deb, what made you decide to break your vow?"

Debra knew what she was asking. Giving a wisp of a grin, Debra slightly shrugged. "I just felt like singing in the spirit of the holidays. It felt…" Her lips slowly rose into a warm grin. "It felt **right**." Everyone grinned, and Debra felt Loretta squeeze her shoulder in support. It indeed felt right.

At that moment, the opening notes of the next song have started, and Ron perked up upon hearing it. Turning to his girlfriend, Ron gave a devil of a grin. "How about you and I give an encore performance to Debra's singing?"

Hearing the music, Kim's face lit up, and soon her lips curled into a sly grin of her own. "Let's, Mr. Stoppable." With that said, the pair faced each other, her right arm around his back, his left arm around her waist, and their other hands clasped together.

George immediately knew what the couple was going to do, so he gestured to Loretta, Felix, and Debra to back up. "Oh, this is going to be good!" he grinned. "Believe me, I've seen this last year, and I know they will need room."

There were no lyrics with the music being played, and it took a few moments for everyone to realize it was tango music – smooth tango music. On a particular note, Kim and Ron started their dance, feet and bodies superbly in synch with one another as they performed the tango. It wasn't long before everyone on the dance floor parted to the sides to give the dancing couple the room they needed. Like it was with Debra, everyone was captivated by what they saw.

At one point, Ron dipped Kim with his right leg bent and his left leg spread out. His left arm supported her weight as her head tilted over, her right hand holding on his left arm as her right leg stretched along his left leg and her left leg bent to help support her weight as she was dipped over. It was a quite a maneuver.

Blinking, Debra, Felix, and Loretta were stunned, while George smirked, his arms crossed as they watched Kim and Ron dance the tango smoothly without flaws under the large chandelier.

"Wow," Felix said at one point, too numb to say anything more, never taking his eyes off the dancing couple.

"You can say that again," Debra murmured, her right hand on her escort's chest. She too couldn't take her eyes off Kim and Ron.

"Wow," Felix said again.

As they danced together, Kim and Ron shared sensual looks with each other. Kim loved feeling her body pressed against his, and Ron in turn loved feeling her this way as well. The tango could allow them to be intimate in a way no other dance could.

Reaching a particular part of the dance, Kim slid her left leg up Ron's right leg and hooked her calf over his thigh as he dipped her slightly, holding onto her waist. Her right leg leaned down as Ron leaned down his left leg along side hers. Her emerald eyes held onto his chocolate eyes as he dipped her, and they both felt the electricity of the moment, and not only them, but also the audience felt it as well.

Nothing short of brilliance could describe Kim and Ron's dance. Just like their hearts, their bodies were perfectly in tune with one another. Total perfection.

Their tango ended as the last musical notes faded away, and the room broke out in applause once more. It wasn't huge compared to Debra's ovation, but it came a close second. Kim and Ron smiled and held hands together as they bowed and Ron gave a 'Booyah!' cheer, making his girlfriend laugh.

When the clapping died down, Kim and Ron walked over to their friends, where Debra nearly jumped off Felix's lap to give Kim a hug. "That was remarkable!" Debra exclaimed to Kim after breaking the hug. "You didn't say anything you two learning to dance the tango."

"I say," Felix said, looking up at Ron with admiration. "Ron man, you certainly have bon-diggity moves to the max!"

Ron wrapped an arm around Kim's waist. "You got it! The Ron and the Kim definitely have the moves!"

Giggling, Kim elbowed him lightly, yet he still kept on his Ron smile, feeling pleased and proud. Shaking her head at his antics, which were part of what she loved about him, Kim focused on Debra once more. "Well, Deb, as you know Ron and I took dance lessons between our freshman and sophomore years. A couple weeks before we returned to Upperton U, we opted to take tango lessons, and we found it was quite fun."

George cut in with a wicked grin on his face. "Oh, I'm sure it was quite fun for you two, particular how **close** you have to be with your partner **physically**." He pretended to cough behind his hand to drive home the point.

Ron's smile broadened. "That too, my roomie friend. That too. Oof!" The breath left him suddenly when Kim elbowed him a bit more forcefully than before.

"Ron!" Kim chided with a mock-irritated face, yet her green eyes twinkled. "Let's not go broadcasting our love life to the entire room now." Debra, Felix, Loretta, and George chuckled.

With his right index finger pointing at her, the blonde man smiled at her reassuringly, even though he knew she wasn't mad at him. "Will do, KP."

Seeing they were standing on the dance floor as other dancers were trying to dance around them, Felix gestured toward their table. "Maybe we should get off the dance floor and continue this conversation at our table? We're crowding the dance floor, and we're not dancing."

"Good idea, Felix," Kim agreed. "Let's go."

So they all left the dance floor and returned to their table, where an enthusiastic Monique welcomed Kim with a hug and gushed how much she enjoyed seeing them do the tango together. They all sat down around the table and talked away.

* * *

Yawning, a pink naked mole rat curled up on several sheets of paper napkins, before he closed his eyes and went to sleep. Yet two hands gently picked him up, disturbing him. "Sorry, Rufus," George softly spoke as he gently placed the little guy in the warm confines of the front breast pocket of his winter jacket, which he now wore. "Ron no doubt wants to spend the remainder of the ball alone with Kim, so since I'm heading back to the dorm, I'll take you back." Rufus didn't complain, for he just snuggled into the pocket and went to sleep.

George turned to the two African-American ladies, who also wore their winter coats and have their purses in hands. "Ready, ladies?" he asked with a small grin.

"You bet, Castle," Monique answered. "Let's leave this joint."

Loretta nodded with a grin. "I'm ready. Let's go."

As the ladies turned to face the front of the ballroom, George turned to dance floor one last time to watch Kim and Ron leisurely dancing together, her head on his shoulder and his face in her hair. The sight made him smile.

After Kim and Ron's spectacular tango dance, the gang had talked for some time, yet occasionally they had returned to the dance floor where they all boogied and slow danced to various songs. By the time midnight arrived, every person in the group had danced with every other. Debra had danced with Ron and George, both slow and fast paced. Loretta had gotten to dance with all the guys. Next to Kim, Monique was almost as great a dance partner with Ron, and she even came to enjoy dancing with George and Felix. Kim even slow danced with George and Felix, whom she sat on his lap.

It had been sometime close to midnight when the ballroom started to empty of attendees. Now it was close to 12:30 AM, and there were very few people left, mostly steady couples, for the DJ was playing mostly romantic, unhurried songs and music. Kim and Ron happened to be one of the couples as well as Ivy and her boyfriend Paul, and there was no doubt they would stay until the ball was officially closed at 1:00 AM.

Giving one final look at the loving couple, George turned and walked to catch up with Monique and Loretta. They strode pass many empty tables, some littered with napkins, empty plates, and cups. The convention hall's clean-up crew later in the day would have plenty of work to get the this room looking elegant again.

As the three reached the front-central double-doors, Monique looked outside into the lobby and frowned. "They're not out here either."

George was a bit puzzled. "Who's not out here?"

Monique turned to him. "Debbie and Felix. Remember, George, when we were on the dance floor minutes ago and when we turned back to our table, they were gone?"

The ponytail-haired man shrugged his shoulders. "I presumed they left. I see nothing wrong with that."

Loretta gave a devious grin. "Or maybe they just want to be alone together." Both Monique and George turned to her with wide eyes.

"Whoa!" George raised a finger in disbelief. "You mean Debra and Felix are…?" He trailed off, yet Loretta nodded in confirmation, still sporting that crafty grin. George's lips slowly grew into an amused grin and chuckled. "That lucky dog! I'm going to drill him for details."

"When?" Monique asked, still stunned, for this was first-time news for her.

The native New Yorker raised a hand to forestall any more questions. "All I know is this. According to Deb, this morning…" She chuckled and shook her head. "Or I should say yesterday morning, Felix had asked her whether she has an escort to the ball. Since she didn't, he'd offered to be her escort and she accepted." Her grin broadened. "So far as I know, tonight has been their first **official** date." With that said, Loretta strolled away toward the staircase, which would lead down to the building's front entrance.

Still chuckling, George followed Loretta's lead. "That **lucky** dog!" he muttered as he walked along.

Monique, still dazed, finally got her brain somewhat out of the fog to get her body to move. She trailed George, wondering when Felix and Debra ever thought of becoming boyfriend/girlfriend.

Back in the ballroom, Kim, watching over Ron's shoulder, saw Monique leave. Even from the distance, the redhead knew her best friend was thrown into a loop. Softly chuckling, Kim returned to place her cheek on her beau's shoulder as they continued moving together on the dance floor.

"What?" Ron softly asked upon hearing her laugh.

Kim whispered back. "It's Monique. She left in quite a shock. I saw Loretta say something to her and George. Both were shock, but George recovered and started laughing. I'm only guessing Loretta told them about Debra and Felix."

Ron softly chortled. Unlike George, Monique, and Loretta, Kim and Ron saw where Debra and Felix had went. It didn't take much to guess something was developing between the wheel-chaired engineer and the gymnastic athlete.

Hearing and feeling his gentle laugh, Kim smiled. "Well, I, for one, couldn't be happier for those two. Each has been alone for so long. I wish them the best in their relationship, Ron."

"Same here," Ron said before kissing the top of her head through her hair. "I hope they can find the love we have." He raised his head off her head, prompting Kim to do the same.

Gazing to each other's luminous eyes, they once again, as many times before, saw friendship, trust, and deep love in each other. Their eyes half closed as their heads drew closer, and once their lips closed over one another open-mouthed, they closed their eyes completely and just let their feelings go. They kissed with love and passion like there was no tomorrow.

After a couple of minutes, their lips parted, and they lovingly gazed at each other with warm smiles. Kim and Ron, their hearts full, softly smooched lips before resuming their dance, their heads returning to their previous positions. They, as well as the few other couples on the dance floor, were not aware of anything else.

Out in the right-side lobby hallway, not far from the entrance to the girl's restroom, two people sat alone, for there was not another soul around. They had taken their coats with them when they'd left the ballroom, and now the winter coats were hung over the back of his wheelchair. In the time since they left the ballroom, they sat together with her on his lap, cuddling and watching the night sky through one of the cathedral high windows. Despite the glow of the city lights and the moon, they could able to see some of the stars shining high above.

With her right arm around his neck, left hand on his chest, and her head laying on his left shoulder, Debra felt content and at peace. The soft music from the overhead speakers added to the tranquility, and she had welcomed his arms around her waist when she'd sat on his lap minutes ago.

Turning his head slightly from sky gazing, Felix looked at Debra and saw the small happy grin on her face as her blue eyes surveyed the night sky. He was pleased that she was so at ease being with him.

"Debra?" Felix spoke gently.

"Hmmm?" Debra hummed just as quietly while her eyes moved to lock onto his blue eyes.

"I'm just curious," Felix began, his left hand rubbing her stomach lightly. "What made you decide to become an astronomer? Even I know that the city lights in Japan would have swamped out the light of the stars."

Her lips curled into a warm smile as the memories came to the forefront of her mind. "You're right that the city lights in Japan would block the stars. There's hardly a place in Japan where one could see the stars clearly anymore.

"Roughly three years ago, after the end of the school year, my parents wanted us to take a vacation, so they'd decided to visit Hawaii. It was the first time I ever had visited Hawaii, and I enjoyed myself tremendously." Felix smiled at this.

"Well," she continued, "one place we went was to the top of Mauna Kae. It is the highest mountain peak in the entire Pacific, and home to one of the world's best astronomical observatories. It so happened we'd went in the afternoon, so we stayed to watch the sun set and the stars come out." Her eyes lowered as she sighed blissfully. "It was **gorgeous**! I'd never seen so many stars before until that night, and it was the first time I'd seen the band of the Milky Way across the sky." A giggle escaped her lips. "I was **hooked**." Felix chuckled, making her chuckle again in return. "After that night, I wanted to know more. Lucky for me, we had only one more day of our vacation before we returned to Japan. After we'd returned, I researched almost every piece of information I could get my hands on, from books, TV documentaries, online sources, etc., and the more I learned, the more I wanted to know. It wasn't long until I knew I wanted to be an astronomer."

Felix grinned. "I'm sure you're going to discover many interesting things out there in the universe, Debra."

"Thanks, Felix," Debra beamed. "I'm sure you will invent all kinds of fascinating stuff."

Giving a tiny shrug, Felix squeezed her waist a bit. "I like to follow in my mother's footsteps." With that said, they returned to the peaceful silence they had before while watching the sky.

A few minutes later, the opening musical notes of a recognizable carol started to play, and Debra, as she done a few hours ago in the ballroom, decided to sing along.

_Silent night, holy night,  
All is calm, all is bright  
Round yon virgin mother and child.  
Holy infant so tender and mild,  
Sleep in heavenly peace.  
Sleep in heavenly peace._

When she began to sing, Felix once more was taken by surprise, but it was only momentarily. Looking at her beautiful face, his heart was contracting in a way he not felt before, for hearing Debra's harmonious voice was always a joy. She raised her head from his shoulder to look into his eyes when she began the next verse.

_Silent night, holy night,  
Shepherds quake at the sight,  
Glories stream from heaven afar,  
Heavenly hosts sing alleluia;  
Christ the Savior, is born!  
Christ the Savior, is born!_

At this moment, Debra really didn't care for anything else. All she wanted was to sing for this man's ears only as well as for herself.

_Silent night, holy night,  
Son of God, love's pure light  
Radiant beams from thy holy face,  
With the dawn of redeeming grace,  
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.  
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth. _

Drawing out the last word at the end of the song, Debra finished it in perfect tune with the music, leaving Felix grinning broadly in admiration as the final notes faded away. "You sing lovely, Debra," he whispered. "I think I will always love to hear you sing."

Feeling her cheeks blushing, Debra, lips in a wide grin, leaned over to touch her forehead to his and gazed into those tender sapphire eyes. "Flatterer," she faintly said, deeply pleased at his words.

As they look into each other's eyes, the couple gradually saw something that made them slowly drop their smiles and continue to gaze at each with hearts starting to race as they parted their foreheads. They couldn't take their eyes off each other, for they didn't want to.

"Debra?" Felix whispered, unsure if he was reading her expression correctly for what it was.

"Felix?" Debra replied just as softly, her heart beating and contracting in a way she hadn't felt before. She lowered her head halfway toward his shoulder, while still maintaining eye contact.

Lowering his head toward hers, he saw she wasn't pulling away, and as his eyes narrowed, so did hers. Their hearts beating rapidly, his lips were so close to hers when he stopped. He wanted to see if this was what she really wanted, yet when he saw her eyes for a second looking at his lips, he was convinced.

With their eyes slightly opened, Felix closed the remaining distance and gently kissed her. They exchanged small tender kisses, keeping their eyes glued to each other as their hearts raced. Stopping, they looked at each other and knew they really wanted it.

Opening their mouths, they closed their eyes and kissed each other fully. Hearts bursting, Felix tightened his arms around her waist, while she swung her left arm around his neck to hold him in place as their lips continued to press together. They moaned together, each didn't want to let go.

For Felix, he never felt anything like this before in his life. The feeling of her lips to his was consuming his mind, for he couldn't think of anything else but her.

For Debra, her mind reeled as she melted into him. His lips felt so good and right, that she felt like just sitting here with his lips on hers forever.

Even though it seemed like an eternity for the couple, only two minutes passed before their lips parted and they opened their eyes. Mouths opened, they breathed a bit heavily for a few moments, before their lips slowly curled up into full smiles as they gazed at each other.

"That was bon-diggity **great**," Felix whispered, leering at her.

Debra softly laughed as she lowered the back of her head onto his shoulder, keeping her eyes on his. "Oh, yes," she quietly said, eyes half-closed. "It was indeed **great**…" She moved her left hand around his neck to cup his right cheek and stroke it affectionately. "My **boyfriend**."

Felix felt like whooping in elation. He lowered his head closer to hers again as his face became sly. "Well, if I'm your boyfriend now, does this mean I can kiss you, as we had done, more often?"

"Oh, yes, Mr. Renton," Debra replied, her expression matching his. "I expect it once in a while." Her left hand moved behind his neck. "Like now," she softly purred before pulling his lips to hers.

As Debra and Felix kissed open-mouthed once again, quite passionately and enthusiastically, they blocked out everything else in the world and focused only on each other.

Through the window, high above the enthralled kissing couple, a star twinkled in the night sky, making it look fitting with the present feelings running around lately. It was, after all, the holiday season. 'Tis the season for joy, friendship, and even love.

Peace on Earth has come to all at Upperton University. Joy and peace to all, and to all, a good night.

The End

* * *

After-story A/Ns:

1) I truly enjoyed writing this one up! I'd spent every day for two weeks just adding more and more to it, and by the time I'd reached the ending, I had written up my second longest story, thus far, next to "Secrets Reveal". Woo! I certainly wanted the ending to be romantic and fluffy, and it felt wonderfully in tune with the joys and loves of the Holiday Season. :)

2) For anyone's information, 'kami' is Japanese for 'god', if the way Debra said it didn't give you the hint that is. ;p

3) As anyone may have guessed, Ron and Kim's formal, evening clothes were taken off Ivymae457's KP art "Thanks for the 20K" over at DeviantArt. Kim's make-up and hair also matches Ivy's art. When I was thinking of what Kim's evening gown would look like, I'd immediately thought of Ivy's art and I said, "Yes! That will fit!" :D

Besides honoring Ivy by using her art in my story, I also placed her in the story as a character – Ivy Mae. She was thrilled I've placed her in the story, and given she's a big Ron Stoppable fan, I gave her a dance with Ron. I even included her husband Paul to be her character's boyfriend. After all, Ron belongs to Kim, and I don't think Kim will like anyone trying to take Her Ron away from her. (chuckle) ;)

If anyone wants to see Ivy's art that inspired Kim and Ron's evening clothes for this story, check out my author profile for the link. :)

4) Besides Ivymae457, I've also made a tribute to MrDrP's story "Kim Possible: Nacho Boy and the Dragon Lady". Yeah, I had Monique said 'Naco Boy' referring to Ron, while Kim was the 'Dragon Lady', but the idea came to me due to MrDrP's story, even if the idea was slightly modified.

So if you haven't read any of MrDrP's stories, I recommend them. He's currently writing a fantastic KP and _Star Trek: The Next Generation_ story titled "Kim Possible: The Next Generation". I also recommend "It's a Ronderful Life" - MrDrP's KPtake of the movie "It's a Wonderful Life."Check out all his stories here at FF-dot-net. :) (MrDP is listed as one of my favorite authors in my Favorite Authors list, so go see my Favorite Authors list for a link to MrDrP's author profile and his stories.)

5) Okay now, I want to say that I'm no dance expert, and I truly do not know the dance steps for the tango. My description of certain points of Kim and Ron's tango dance were taken from pictures I found on the Net. I did my best to describe what the dancing couples were doing in the pictures as a format for what Kim and Ron were doing.

So if anyone knew what the tango dance is and can picture it as Kim and Ron danced, good! Least you know what they were doing. I wanted Kim and Ron doing the tango, given it's the only dance that I know that looks sensual without being dirty. And sorry, I don't think 'Dirty Dancing' would fit for them to dance at a holiday ball. ;p :D

BTW, I placed a picture, of one dancing tango couple, in my digital art cover for "'Tis the Season" over at my DeviantArt page. So if you want to see what Kim and Ron were doing at one point in their tango dance, check out my cover art to see the dancing tango couple pic. Link to my DeviantArt page can be found in my author profile. :)

6) The lyrics I've placed throughout this story are all Christmas songs, and to stay in tune with the holiday feeling of the story, I'd decided not to mention any lyrics from non-holiday songs. I would have loved to include "September" (Earth Wind & Fire) as one of the songs the TUY gang danced to, but it wouldn't fit with the Christmas lyrics I'd already placed.

So for those who have not recognized the Christmas songs played throughout this story, here they are in order of their appearance:

"Deck the Halls", "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" (choir singing), "Jingle Bell Rock", "Silver Bells", "Holly Jolly Christmas", "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year", "New York Christmas" (song by Matchbox20), "Do You Hear What I Hear?" (Debra singing), and "Silent Night" (Debra singing).

7) It's ironic that the next several stories will take place before New Year Day in the TUY universe, yet I know they will not be written up until well after the Holiday Season in our Real World. Just an irony I found, given I know it takes time for me to write up each story. I figured by the time I have Kim and Ron graduating from Upperton U, many years would pass for me before I even start writing up that particular story. (shrug)

Anyway, as I said, the next several stories will still take place during the timeframe before the New Year, and things will start to get interesting for the TUY gang. :)

8) I want to thank deeply everyone who has followed my TUY series. Thirty of you have placed me in your Favorite Authors lists (I'm touched!), while 24, over at DeviantArt, has placed me on their DeviantWatch lists. Of course, my deepest thanks goes to every person who read my stories, regardless whether you placed me on any favorite lists. I'm honored that you all think I'm a good KP fanfic writer to come back when I post a new story of the TUY series. :)

9) Last by not least, I wish everyone Happy Holidays (whether it's Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa, or some other holiday) and a joyous & happy New Year! My next TUY story will not be posted until next month in 2006, so I'll see everyone then! Ciao:)


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